Behind the Facade of John F. Kennedy

John F. Kennedy was born into a wealthy, politically connected Boston family.  His childhood was lived in prestigious private schools alongside his eight siblings.  He attended Harvard University and shined in his service during World War II.  Before his presidential term, Kennedy served in the US House of Representatives from 1947 ti 1953 and the US Senate from 1953 to 1961.  He began his presidency at forty-three as the youngest serving president yet.  He brought hope and new ideas as the United States recovered from World War II.  However, his service in the White House was cut short on November 22, 1963 when he was assassinated in Texas.  In 1971, Aaron Shikler revealed John F. Kennedy's presidential portrait, which his widow, Jackie Kennedy, assisted in.

The first thing that stood out to me in the portrait was the posture of John F. Kennedy.  He is standing with his arms crossed, head down, and eyes closed,  I interpreted that as being a display of critical thinking during stress.  During his presidency, John F. Kennedy was faced with leading a powerful country within a time of diplomatic unrest.  A key point in his term was how he handled the Cold War and communism, which were crucial and stressful topics.  Thus, in the portrait, John F. Kennedy could be contemplating a serious decision since these were abundant during his years as president.

I also noticed how the artist chose very somber colors.  The background of the portrait is a lighter shade of brown and Kennedy's suit is a dark brown-grey.  The color brown signifies a serious tone towards duties and responsibilities.  John F. Kennedy was known for his dedicated to the United States, from serving in World War II, being in the House of Representatives and Senate, to a presidential term.  Therefore, Shikler was attempting to portray how serious Kennedy took these services and that he had a desire to fulfill hos duties to his country.

However, the hazy tone added to the background and his skin depicts the drawbacks of these desires, as it symbolizes tiredness.  Since Mrs. Kennedy assisted in the portrait, she most likely gave a very real and honest account of how his presidency was outside of what the public could see.  John F. Kennedy was the first president to be watched on screen, so he put up a front for the whole nation as an inspiring, hopeful man with promise.  However, a presidency is one of the most stressful positions in government and the thought of now being watched by a whole nation did not ease this stress and led to tiring days trying to be a symbol of hope for the people of the United States.  Through color, the artist is trying to argue that while John F. Kennedy was a man who was dedicated to the people and his duties, the job of being a president can tire those who are most committed.

Aaron Shikler was given the job of interpreting the life cut short of a president who was loved by the people.  To do this, he incorporated colors, facial expressions, and stance to convey how John F. Kennedy was a man devoted to serving his country, even when that caused a toll on his mental well-being.  In the bigger picture, it is demonstrated that a presidency can wreck havoc on the lives of those most devoted to the job and loved by the people.